Gender Differences in Science Education: Building a Model

The relationship between gender and science in schools is the focus of this article. It begins with the hypothesis that neither macro-level frameworks, suggested by international studies, nor causal models, developed in mathematics, provide an adequate paradigm to guide gender and science research. An analysis of an Australian and American study informs the proposed model that suggests how students' and teachers' constructions of gender and science affect student outcomes. The model is proposed as a scaffolding for future research that will systematically examine known and new variables as well as their effect on girls' interest, confidence, achievement, aspiration, and retention in science.

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